Famous British Saints

Saint Patrick was a Romano-British bishop and Christian missionary in Ireland. Widely regarded as the main patron saint of Ireland, Patrick is often referred to as the Apostle of Ireland. According to early medieval tradition, Patrick is credited with popularizing Christianity in Ireland. His life and work inspired the 2000 TV historical drama film, St. Patrick: The Irish Legend.

Swithin was an Anglo-Saxon bishop of Winchester in the 9th century. He subsequently became the patron saint of Winchester Cathedral. According to Christian traditions, he is recorded as a witness to nine charters. More than a century after his death, he was adopted as patron of the restored church at Winchester. Several miracles are attributed to him.

Best known for his Ecclesiastical History of the English People, The Venerable Bede was an Anglo Saxon theologian and historian. An English Benedictine monk, he was taken to the monastery of St. Peter at age 7. He is now revered as the patron saint of English writers and historians.

Catholic Jesuit priest Saint Edmund Campion was hailed as a martyr after being hanged for treason at Tyburn by Queen Elizabeth I’s government. Born to a bookseller in London, Campion taught at Oxford, before being ordained. He was later canonized as one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales.

British-American anthropologist Colin Turnbull is best remembered for his books The Forest People and The Mountain People. After serving the naval reserves during World War II, he worked as a researcher at the Banaras Hindu University before returning to Oxford. He also taught at the George Washington University.

Chad of Mercia was an Anglo-Saxon churchman who, according to Saint Bede, is credited with bringing Christianity to the Mercian kingdom. After his death, Chad was venerated as a saint and continues to be venerated in several churches, such as the Anglican churches, the Roman Catholic, and the Celtic Orthodox Church.

Bishop of Exeter Myles Coverdale is best remembered for releasing the first printed translation of the Bible in English. He had been a major figure of the Reform cause. He escaped being burned at the stake during Roman Catholic Mary I’s reign by moving to Denmark.

Charles Simeon was an evangelical Anglican clergyman. An influential leader among evangelical churchmen, Charles Simeon co-founded the Church Missionary Society. He also helped found the Church's Ministry Among Jewish People in 1809. In 2001, Charles Simeon Trust was established in his honor. In 2014, the Charles Simeon Institute was founded in his honor.

Stephen Harding is remembered as a founder of the Cistercian Order of the Catholic Church. He also released his own version of the Bible and set austere regulations for the followers of his order. An abbot of Cîteaux, he is now revered as a saint by the Roman Catholic Church.

The son of a feudal baron, Thomas de Cantilupe was educated at Oxford, Orléans, and Paris, and later taught canon law. He also served as the chancellor of England and the bishop of Hereford. In the Second Barons' War, he was the barons’ representative before King Louis IX of France.

Anglican bishop and hymn writer Thomas Ken had also been King Charles II’s chaplain. He was one of the seven bishops who opposed King James II’s Declaration of Indulgence that was focused on promoting Roman Catholicism. He was eventually forced to retire due to his opposition to William and Mary.

Richard Rolle was an English mystic, hermit, and religious writer. According to scholarly research, Rolle's works were among the most read during the 15th century. He is credited with inspiring a flourishing cult, which was prevalent during the English Reformation. Richard Rolle is commemorated on 20 January in the Church of England.

Saint Wulfstan, or Wulstan, who had been the bishop of Worcester, was the only surviving English bishop after the Norman Conquest. Apart from ending slave trade in Bristol, he also compiled Domesday Book. He is revered as the patron saint of vegetarians and of those on a diet.

Born Edmund Rich, Edmund of Abingdon was a 13th-century archbishop of Canterbury. He also taught math and theology at various institutes. He is remembered for his conflict with King Henry III of England, in defense of church rights. His written contributions to medieval theology include works such as Speculum ecclesiae.

Sister Mary Irene FitzGibbon, popularly known as Sister Irene, is best remembered as the founder of the New York Foundling Hospital, a first-of-its-kind hospital that catered to abandoned infants, especially those born of unwed mothers. She also introduced pioneering programs for adoption and for arrangement of foster homes.